Minor girl dies of suspected acid ingestion in Delhi; police probe mother's contradictory statements
New Delhi (PTI): A 16-year-old girl died under suspicious circumstances in east Delhi's Geeta Colony area, prompting police to investigate allegations of sexual assault and forced acid ingestion, an official said on Sunday.
According to the police, the statements given by the girl’s mother are also contradictory and are being probed.
On July 3, the girl, a resident of Geeta Colony, was married to a 22-year-old man from Rampur in Uttar Pradesh in the presence of members of both families, they said.
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"The two families are distant relatives. On October 29, last year, a medico-legal case (MLC) was received at the Geeta Colony police station from Maulana Azad Hospital, Delhi, about the girl. The MLC mentioned acid ingestion and did not record any history of assault," a police officer said.
At the time, the girl and her mother had told doctors and police that she had consumed acid on her own after an argument with her husband, he said.
"However, on January 23, the girl's mother lodged a fresh complaint at Geeta Colony police station, alleging that her daughter had been sexually assaulted by her husband and was forced to consume acid on October 29," the officer added.
In view of the age of the girl at the time of marriage, police registered FIR on January 23, under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 65 (rape) and 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and Section 6 of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act at Geeta Colony police station, officials said.
The victim later gave a contradictory version regarding the ingestion of acid during her statement before a magistrate. Based on her statement, appropriate sections of law were invoked, and the matter was probed from all angles, they added.
"In the alleged incident of acid ingestion, the girl was not admitted to any hospital for a prolonged period. Instead, she remained at her parental home. On February 7, her father took her to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital in an emergency condition, where doctors declared her dead," the police officer said.
He further said that an autopsy was conducted on Sunday at the hospital, but the surgeon conducting the post-mortem could not arrive at a definitive opinion regarding the cause of death, citing the considerable time gap and the long duration since the alleged acid ingestion.
Police said the final opinion will be given after receiving the results of histopathological examination and chemical analysis from the forensic laboratory. Further action as deemed fit will be taken after receipt of the expert reports, the officer said.
The case is being closely monitored, and all aspects, including the allegations of sexual assault, the circumstances of acid ingestion, medical history and statements of witnesses, are being examined, police said.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
